misc updates:
[binutils-gdb.git] / ld / ld.texinfo
1 \input texinfo
2 @setfilename ld.info
3 @syncodeindex ky cp
4 @include configdoc.texi
5 @c (configdoc.texi is generated by the Makefile)
6
7 @c @smallbook
8
9 @ifinfo
10 @format
11 START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
12 * Ld:: The GNU linker.
13 END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
14 @end format
15 @end ifinfo
16
17 @ifinfo
18 This file documents the GNU linker LD.
19
20 Copyright (C) 1991, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
21
22 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
23 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
24 are preserved on all copies.
25
26 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
27 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that
28 the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
29 permission notice identical to this one.
30
31 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
32 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
33
34 @ignore
35 Permission is granted to process this file through Tex and print the
36 results, provided the printed document carries copying permission
37 notice identical to this one except for the removal of this paragraph
38 (this paragraph not being relevant to the printed manual).
39
40 @end ignore
41 @end ifinfo
42 @iftex
43 @finalout
44 @setchapternewpage odd
45 @settitle Using LD, the GNU linker
46 @titlepage
47 @title Using ld
48 @subtitle The GNU linker
49 @sp 1
50 @subtitle @code{ld} version 2
51 @subtitle March 1993
52 @author Steve Chamberlain and Roland Pesch
53 @author Cygnus Support
54 @page
55
56 @tex
57 {\parskip=0pt
58 \hfill Cygnus Support\par
59 \hfill steve\@cygnus.com, pesch\@cygnus.com\par
60 \hfill {\it Using LD, the GNU linker}\par
61 \hfill Edited by Jeffrey Osier (jeffrey\@cygnus.com), March 1993.\par
62 }
63 \global\parindent=0pt % Steve likes it this way.
64 @end tex
65
66 @vskip 0pt plus 1filll
67 Copyright @copyright{} 1991, 1992, 1993 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
68
69 Permission is granted to make and distribute verbatim copies of
70 this manual provided the copyright notice and this permission notice
71 are preserved on all copies.
72
73 Permission is granted to copy and distribute modified versions of this
74 manual under the conditions for verbatim copying, provided also that
75 the entire resulting derived work is distributed under the terms of a
76 permission notice identical to this one.
77
78 Permission is granted to copy and distribute translations of this manual
79 into another language, under the above conditions for modified versions.
80 @end titlepage
81 @end iftex
82 @c FIXME: Talk about importance of *order* of args, cmds to linker!
83
84 @ifinfo
85 @node Top
86 @top Using ld
87 This file documents the GNU linker ld.
88
89 @menu
90 * Overview:: Overview
91 * Invocation:: Invocation
92 * Commands:: Command Language
93 @ifset GENERIC
94 * Machine Dependent:: Machine Dependent Features
95 @end ifset
96 @ifclear GENERIC
97 @ifset H8300
98 * H8/300:: ld and the H8/300
99 @end ifset
100 @ifset I960
101 * i960:: ld and the Intel 960 family
102 @end ifset
103 @end ifclear
104 @ifclear SingleFormat
105 * BFD:: BFD
106 @end ifclear
107 @c Following blank line required for remaining bug in makeinfo conds/menus
108
109 * MRI:: MRI Compatible Script Files
110 * Index:: Index
111 @end menu
112 @end ifinfo
113
114 @node Overview
115 @chapter Overview
116
117 @cindex GNU linker
118 @cindex what is this?
119 @code{ld} combines a number of object and archive files, relocates
120 their data and ties up symbol references. Usually the last step in
121 compiling a program is to run @code{ld}.
122
123 @code{ld} accepts Linker Command Language files written in
124 a superset of AT&T's Link Editor Command Language syntax,
125 to provide explicit and total control over the linking process.
126
127 @ifclear SingleFormat
128 This version of @code{ld} uses the general purpose BFD libraries
129 to operate on object files. This allows @code{ld} to read, combine, and
130 write object files in many different formats---for example, COFF or
131 @code{a.out}. Different formats may be linked together to produce any
132 available kind of object file. @xref{BFD} for a list of formats
133 supported on various architectures.
134 @end ifclear
135
136 Aside from its flexibility, the GNU linker is more helpful than other
137 linkers in providing diagnostic information. Many linkers abandon
138 execution immediately upon encountering an error; whenever possible,
139 @code{ld} continues executing, allowing you to identify other errors
140 (or, in some cases, to get an output file in spite of the error).
141
142 @node Invocation
143 @chapter Invocation
144
145 The GNU linker @code{ld} is meant to cover a broad range of situations,
146 and to be as compatible as possible with other linkers. As a result,
147 you have many choices to control its behavior.
148
149 @ifset UsesEnvVars
150 @menu
151 * Options:: Command Line Options
152 * Environment:: Environment Variables
153 @end menu
154
155 @node Options
156 @section Command Line Options
157 @end ifset
158
159 @cindex command line
160 @cindex options
161 Here is a summary of the options you can use on the @code{ld} command
162 line:
163
164 @c FIXME! -relax only avail h8/300, i960. Conditionals screwed in examples.
165 @smallexample
166 ld [ -o @var{output} ] @var{objfile}@dots{}
167 [ -A@var{architecture} ] [ -b @var{input-format} ] [ -Bstatic ]
168 [ -c @var{MRI-commandfile} ] [ -d | -dc | -dp ]
169 [ -defsym @var{symbol}=@var{expression} ]
170 [ -e @var{entry} ] [ -F ] [ -F @var{format} ]
171 [ -format @var{input-format} ] [ -g ] [ -G @var{size} ] [ --help ] [ -i ]
172 [ -l@var{archive} ] [ -L@var{searchdir} ] [ -M ] [ -Map @var{mapfile} ]
173 [ -m @var{emulation} ] [ -N | -n ] [ -noinhibit-exec ]
174 [ -oformat @var{output-format} ] [ -R @var{filename} ] [ -relax ]
175 [ -r | -Ur ] [ -S ] [ -s ] [ -sort-common ] [ -stats ]
176 [ -T @var{commandfile} ]
177 [ -Ttext @var{org} ] [ -Tdata @var{org} ]
178 [ -Tbss @var{org} ] [ -t ] [ -u @var{symbol}] [-V] [-v] [ --version ]
179 [ -warn-common ] [ -y @var{symbol} ] [ -X ] [-x ]
180 @end smallexample
181
182 This plethora of command-line options may seem intimidating, but in
183 actual practice few of them are used in any particular context.
184 @cindex standard Unix system
185 For instance, a frequent use of @code{ld} is to link standard Unix
186 object files on a standard, supported Unix system. On such a system, to
187 link a file @code{hello.o}:
188
189 @example
190 ld -o @var{output} /lib/crt0.o hello.o -lc
191 @end example
192
193 This tells @code{ld} to produce a file called @var{output} as the
194 result of linking the file @code{/lib/crt0.o} with @code{hello.o} and
195 the library @code{libc.a}, which will come from the standard search
196 directories. (See the discussion of the @samp{-l} option below.)
197
198 The command-line options to @code{ld} may be specified in any order, and
199 may be repeated at will. Repeating most options with a
200 different argument will either have no further effect, or override prior
201 occurrences (those further to the left on the command line) of that
202 option.
203
204 @ifclear SingleFormat
205 The exceptions---which may meaningfully be used more than once---are
206 @samp{-A}, @samp{-b} (or its synonym @samp{-format}), @samp{-defsym},
207 @samp{-L}, @samp{-l}, @samp{-R}, and @samp{-u}.
208 @end ifclear
209 @ifset SingleFormat
210 The exceptions---which may meaningfully be used more than once---are
211 @samp{-A}, @samp{-defsym}, @samp{-L}, @samp{-l}, @samp{-R}, and @samp{-u}.
212 @end ifset
213
214 @cindex object files
215 The list of object files to be linked together, shown as @var{objfile}@dots{},
216 may follow, precede, or be mixed in with command-line options, except that
217 an @var{objfile} argument may not be placed between an option and
218 its argument.
219
220 Usually the linker is invoked with at least one object file, but you can
221 specify other forms of binary input files using @samp{-l}, @samp{-R},
222 and the script command language. If @emph{no} binary input files at all
223 are specified, the linker does not produce any output, and issues the
224 message @samp{No input files}.
225
226 Option arguments must either follow the option letter without intervening
227 whitespace, or be given as separate arguments immediately following the
228 option that requires them.
229
230 @table @code
231 @ifset I960
232 @cindex architectures
233 @kindex -A@var{arch}
234 @item -A@var{architecture}
235 In the current release of @code{ld}, this option is useful only for the
236 Intel 960 family of architectures. In that @code{ld} configuration, the
237 @var{architecture} argument identifies the particular architecture in
238 the 960 family, enabling some safeguards and modifying the
239 archive-library search path. @xref{i960,,@code{ld} and the Intel 960
240 family}, for details.
241
242 Future releases of @code{ld} may support similar functionality for
243 other architecture families.
244 @end ifset
245
246 @ifclear SingleFormat
247 @cindex binary input format
248 @kindex -b @var{format}
249 @cindex input format
250 @item -b @var{input-format}
251 @cindex input format
252 @code{ld} may be configured to support more than one kind of object
253 file. If your @code{ld} is configured this way, you can use the
254 @samp{-b} option to specify the binary format for input object files
255 that follow this option on the command line. Even when @code{ld} is
256 configured to support alternative object formats, you don't usually need
257 to specify this, as @code{ld} should be configured to expect as a
258 default input format the most usual format on each machine.
259 @var{input-format} is a text string, the name of a particular format
260 supported by the BFD libraries. (You can list the available binary
261 formats with @samp{objdump -i}.) @w{@samp{-format @var{input-format}}}
262 has the same effect, as does the script command @code{TARGET}.
263 @xref{BFD}.
264
265 You may want to use this option if you are linking files with an unusual
266 binary format. You can also use @samp{-b} to switch formats explicitly (when
267 linking object files of different formats), by including
268 @samp{-b @var{input-format}} before each group of object files in a
269 particular format.
270
271 The default format is taken from the environment variable
272 @code{GNUTARGET}.
273 @ifset UsesEnvVars
274 @xref{Environment}.
275 @end ifset
276 You can also define the input
277 format from a script, using the command @code{TARGET}; see @ref{Option
278 Commands}.
279 @end ifclear
280
281 @kindex -Bstatic
282 @item -Bstatic
283 Ignored. This option is accepted for command-line compatibility with
284 the SunOS linker.
285
286 @kindex -c @var{MRI-cmdfile}
287 @cindex compatibility, MRI
288 @item -c @var{MRI-commandfile}
289 For compatibility with linkers produced by MRI, @code{ld} accepts script
290 files written in an alternate, restricted command language, described in
291 @ref{MRI,,MRI Compatible Script Files}. Introduce MRI script files with
292 the option @samp{-c}; use the @samp{-T} option to run linker
293 scripts written in the general-purpose @code{ld} scripting language.
294 If @var{MRI-cmdfile} does not exist, @code{ld} looks for it in the directories
295 specified by any @samp{-L} options.
296
297 @cindex common allocation
298 @kindex -d
299 @item -d
300 @kindex -dc
301 @itemx -dc
302 @kindex -dp
303 @itemx -dp
304 These three options are equivalent; multiple forms are supported for
305 compatibility with other linkers. They
306 assign space to common symbols even if a relocatable output file is
307 specified (with @samp{-r}). The script command
308 @code{FORCE_COMMON_ALLOCATION} has the same effect. @xref{Option
309 Commands}.
310
311 @cindex symbols, from command line
312 @kindex -defsym @var{symbol}=@var{exp}
313 @item -defsym @var{symbol}=@var{expression}
314 Create a global symbol in the output file, containing the absolute
315 address given by @var{expression}. You may use this option as many
316 times as necessary to define multiple symbols in the command line. A
317 limited form of arithmetic is supported for the @var{expression} in this
318 context: you may give a hexadecimal constant or the name of an existing
319 symbol, or use @code{+} and @code{-} to add or subtract hexadecimal
320 constants or symbols. If you need more elaborate expressions, consider
321 using the linker command language from a script (@pxref{Assignment, ,
322 Assignment: Symbol Definitions}). @emph{Note:} there should be no
323 white space between @var{symbol}, the equals sign (``@key{=}''), and
324 @var{expression}.
325
326 @cindex entry point, from command line
327 @kindex -e @var{entry}
328 @item -e @var{entry}
329 Use @var{entry} as the explicit symbol for beginning execution of your
330 program, rather than the default entry point. @xref{Entry Point}, for a
331 discussion of defaults and other ways of specifying the
332 entry point.
333
334 @ifclear SingleFormat
335 @kindex -F
336 @item -F
337 @itemx -F@var{format}
338 Ignored. Some older linkers used this option throughout a compilation
339 toolchain for specifying object-file format for both input and output
340 object files. The mechanisms @code{ld} uses for this purpose (the
341 @samp{-b} or @samp{-format} options for input files, @samp{-oformat}
342 option or the @code{TARGET} command in linker scripts for output files,
343 the @code{GNUTARGET} environment variable) are more flexible, but
344 @code{ld} accepts the @samp{-F} option for compatibility with scripts
345 written to call the old linker.
346
347 @kindex -format
348 @item -format @var{input-format}
349 Synonym for @samp{-b @var{input-format}}.
350 @end ifclear
351
352 @kindex -g
353 @item -g
354 Ignored. Provided for compatibility with other tools.
355
356 @kindex -G
357 @cindex object size
358 @item -G@var{value}
359 @itemx -G @var{value}
360 Set the maximum size of objects to be optimized using the GP register to
361 @var{size} under MIPS ECOFF. Ignored for other object file formats.
362
363 @item --help
364 @kindex --help
365 @cindex help
366 @cindex usage
367 Print a summary of the command-line options on the standard output and exit.
368 This option and @samp{--version} begin with two dashes instead of one
369 for compatibility with other GNU programs. The other options start with
370 only one dash for compatibility with other linkers.
371
372 @kindex -i
373 @cindex incremental link
374 @item -i
375 Perform an incremental link (same as option @samp{-r}).
376
377 @cindex archive files, from cmd line
378 @kindex -l@var{archive}
379 @item -l@var{ar}
380 Add archive file @var{archive} to the list of files to link. This
381 option may be used any number of times. @code{ld} will search its
382 path-list for occurrences of @code{lib@var{ar}.a} for every @var{archive}
383 specified.
384
385 @cindex search directory, from cmd line
386 @kindex -L@var{dir}
387 @item -L@var{searchdir}
388 @itemx -L @var{searchdir}
389 Add path @var{searchdir} to the list of paths that @code{ld} will search
390 for archive libraries and @code{ld} control scripts. You may use this
391 option any number of times.
392
393 @ifset UsesEnvVars
394 The default set of paths searched (without being specified with
395 @samp{-L}) depends on which emulation mode @code{ld} is using, and in
396 some cases also on how it was configured. @xref{Environment}.
397 @end ifset
398
399 The paths can also be specified in a link script with the
400 @code{SEARCH_DIR} command.
401
402 @cindex link map
403 @kindex -M
404 @item -M
405 Print (to the standard output) a link map---diagnostic information
406 about where symbols are mapped by @code{ld}, and information on global
407 common storage allocation.
408
409 @cindex link map
410 @kindex -Map
411 @item -Map @var{mapfile}
412 Print to the file @var{mapfile} a link map---diagnostic information
413 about where symbols are mapped by @code{ld}, and information on global
414 common storage allocation.
415
416 @cindex emulation
417 @kindex -m @var{emulation}
418 @item -m@var{emulation}
419 @itemx -m @var{emulation}
420 Emulate the @var{emulation} linker. You can list the available
421 emulations with the @samp{-V} option. The
422 default depends on how your @code{ld} was configured.
423
424 @kindex -N
425 @cindex read/write from cmd line
426 @kindex OMAGIC
427 @item -N
428 Set the text and data sections to be readable and writable. Also, do
429 not page-align the data segment. If the output format supports Unix
430 style magic numbers, mark the output as @code{OMAGIC}.
431
432 @item -n
433 @kindex -n
434 @cindex read-only text
435 @kindex NMAGIC
436 Set the text segment to be read only, and mark the output as
437 @code{NMAGIC} if possible.
438
439 @item -noinhibit-exec
440 @cindex output file after errors
441 @kindex -noinhibit-exec
442 Retain the executable output file whenever it is still usable.
443 Normally, the linker will not produce an output file if it encounters
444 errors during the link process; it exits without writing an output file
445 when it issues any error whatsoever.
446
447 @item -o @var{output}
448 @kindex -o @var{output}
449 @cindex naming the output file
450 Use @var{output} as the name for the program produced by @code{ld}; if this
451 option is not specified, the name @file{a.out} is used by default. The
452 script command @code{OUTPUT} can also specify the output file name.
453
454 @ifclear SingleFormat
455 @kindex -oformat
456 @item -oformat @var{output-format}
457 @code{ld} may be configured to support more than one kind of object
458 file. If your @code{ld} is configured this way, you can use the
459 @samp{-oformat} option to specify the binary format for the output
460 object file. Even when @code{ld} is configured to support alternative
461 object formats, you don't usually need to specify this, as @code{ld}
462 should be configured to produce as a default output format the most
463 usual format on each machine. @var{output-format} is a text string, the
464 name of a particular format supported by the BFD libraries. (You can
465 list the available binary formats with @samp{objdump -i}.) The script
466 command @code{OUTPUT_FORMAT} can also specify the output format, but
467 this option overrides it. @xref{BFD}.
468 @end ifclear
469
470 @item -R @var{filename}
471 @kindex -R @var{file}
472 @cindex symbol-only input
473 Read symbol names and their addresses from @var{filename}, but do not
474 relocate it or include it in the output. This allows your output file
475 to refer symbolically to absolute locations of memory defined in other
476 programs.
477
478 @item -relax
479 @kindex -relax
480 @cindex synthesizing linker
481 @cindex relaxing addressing modes
482 An option with machine dependent effects.
483 @ifset GENERIC
484 Currently this option is only supported on the H8/300 and the Intel 960.
485 @end ifset
486 @ifset H8300
487 @xref{H8/300,,@code{ld} and the H8/300}.
488 @end ifset
489 @ifset I960
490 @xref{i960,, @code{ld} and the Intel 960 family}.
491 @end ifset
492
493 On some platforms, the @samp{-relax} option performs global optimizations that
494 become possible when the linker resolves addressing in the program, such
495 as relaxing address modes and synthesizing new instructions in the
496 output object file.
497
498 @ifset GENERIC
499 On platforms where this is not supported, @samp{-relax} is accepted, but
500 ignored.
501 @end ifset
502
503 @item -r
504 @cindex partial link
505 @cindex relocatable output
506 @kindex -r
507 Generate relocatable output---i.e., generate an output file that can in
508 turn serve as input to @code{ld}. This is often called @dfn{partial
509 linking}. As a side effect, in environments that support standard Unix
510 magic numbers, this option also sets the output file's magic number to
511 @code{OMAGIC}.
512 @c ; see @code{-N}.
513 If this option is not specified, an absolute file is produced. When
514 linking C++ programs, this option @emph{will not} resolve references to
515 constructors; to do that, use @samp{-Ur}.
516
517 This option does the same thing as @samp{-i}.
518
519 @item -S
520 @kindex -S
521 @cindex strip debugger symbols
522 Omit debugger symbol information (but not all symbols) from the output file.
523
524 @item -s
525 @kindex -s
526 @cindex strip all symbols
527 Omit all symbol information from the output file.
528
529 @item -sort-common
530 Normally, when @code{ld} places the global common symbols in the
531 appropriate output sections, it sorts them by size. First come all the
532 one byte symbols, then all the two bytes, then all the four bytes, and
533 then everything else. This is to prevent gaps between symbols due to
534 alignment constraints. This option disables that sorting.
535
536 @item -stats
537 Compute and display statistics about the operation of the linker,
538 such as execution time and memory usage.
539
540 @item -Tbss @var{org}
541 @kindex -Tbss @var{org}
542 @itemx -Tdata @var{org}
543 @kindex -Tdata @var{org}
544 @itemx -Ttext @var{org}
545 @kindex -Ttext @var{org}
546 @cindex segment origins, cmd line
547 Use @var{org} as the starting address for---respectively---the
548 @code{bss}, @code{data}, or the @code{text} segment of the output file.
549 @var{org} must be a single hexadecimal integer;
550 for compatibility with other linkers, you may omit the leading
551 @samp{0x} usually associated with hexadecimal values.
552
553 @item -T @var{commandfile}
554 @itemx -T@var{commandfile}
555 @kindex -T @var{script}
556 @cindex script files
557 Read link commands from the file @var{commandfile}. These commands
558 replace @code{ld}'s default link script (rather than adding
559 to it), so @var{commandfile} must specify everything necessary to describe
560 the target format. @xref{Commands}. If @var{commandfile} does not
561 exist, @code{ld} looks for it in the directories specified by any
562 preceding @samp{-L} options. Multiple @samp{-T} options accumulate.
563
564 @item -t
565 @kindex -t
566 @cindex verbose
567 @cindex input files, displaying
568 Print the names of the input files as @code{ld} processes them.
569
570 @item -u @var{symbol}
571 @kindex -u @var{symbol}
572 @cindex undefined symbol
573 Force @var{symbol} to be entered in the output file as an undefined symbol.
574 Doing this may, for example, trigger linking of additional modules from
575 standard libraries. @samp{-u} may be repeated with different option
576 arguments to enter additional undefined symbols.
577 @c Nice idea, but no such command: This option is equivalent
578 @c to the @code{EXTERN} linker command.
579
580 @item -Ur
581 @kindex -Ur
582 @cindex constructors
583 For anything other than C++ programs, this option is equivalent to
584 @samp{-r}: it generates relocatable output---i.e., an output file that can in
585 turn serve as input to @code{ld}. When linking C++ programs, @samp{-Ur}
586 @emph{does} resolve references to constructors, unlike @samp{-r}.
587 It does not work to use @samp{-Ur} on files that were themselves linked
588 with @samp{-Ur}; once the constructor table has been built, it cannot
589 be added to. Use @samp{-Ur} only for the last partial link, and
590 @samp{-r} for the others.
591
592 @item -V
593 @kindex -V
594 @cindex version
595 Display the version number for @code{ld} and list the linker emulations
596 supported. Display which input files can and cannot be opened.
597
598 @item -v
599 @kindex -v
600 @cindex version
601 Display the version number for @code{ld}.
602
603 @item --version
604 @kindex --version
605 Display the version number for @code{ld} and exit.
606
607 @item -warn-common
608 @kindex -warn-comon
609 @cindex warnings, on combining symbols
610 @cindex combining symbols, warnings on
611 Warn when a common symbol is combined with another common symbol or with
612 a symbol definition. Unix linkers allow this somewhat sloppy practice,
613 but linkers on some other operating systems do not. This option allows
614 you to find potential problems from combining global symbols.
615 Unfortunately, some C libraries use this practice, so you may get some
616 warnings about symbols in the libraries as well as in your programs.
617
618 There are three kinds of global symbols, illustrated here by C examples:
619
620 @table @samp
621 @item int i = 1;
622 A definition, which goes in the initialized data section of the output
623 file.
624
625 @item extern int i;
626 An undefined reference, which does not allocate space.
627 There must be either a definition or a common symbol for the
628 variable somewhere.
629
630 @item int i;
631 A common symbol. If there are only (one or more) common symbols for a
632 variable, it goes in the uninitialized data area of the output file.
633 The linker merges multiple common symbols for the same variable into a
634 single symbol. If they are of different sizes, it picks the largest
635 size. The linker turns a common symbol into a declaration, if there is
636 a definition of the same variable.
637 @end table
638
639 The @samp{-warn-common} option can produce five kinds of warnings. Each
640 warning consists of a pair of lines: the first describes the symbol just
641 encountered, and the second describes the previous symbol encountered
642 with the same name. One or both of the two symbols will be a common
643 symbol.
644
645 @enumerate
646 @item
647 Turning a common symbol into a reference, because there is already a
648 definition for the symbol.
649 @smallexample
650 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: common of `@var{symbol}'
651 overridden by definition
652 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: defined here
653 @end smallexample
654
655 @item
656 Turning a common symbol into a reference, because a later definition for
657 the symbol is encountered. This is the same as the previous case,
658 except that the symbols are encountered in a different order.
659 @smallexample
660 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: definition of `@var{symbol}'
661 overriding common
662 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: common is here
663 @end smallexample
664
665 @item
666 Merging a common symbol with a previous same-sized common symbol.
667 @smallexample
668 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: multiple common
669 of `@var{symbol}'
670 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: previous common is here
671 @end smallexample
672
673 @item
674 Merging a common symbol with a previous larger common symbol.
675 @smallexample
676 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: common of `@var{symbol}'
677 overridden by larger common
678 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: larger common is here
679 @end smallexample
680
681 @item
682 Merging a common symbol with a previous smaller common symbol. This is
683 the same as the previous case, except that the symbols are
684 encountered in a different order.
685 @smallexample
686 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: common of `@var{symbol}'
687 overriding smaller common
688 @var{file}(@var{section}): warning: smaller common is here
689 @end smallexample
690 @end enumerate
691
692 @item -X
693 @kindex -X
694 @cindex local symbols, deleting
695 @cindex L, deleting symbols beginning
696 If @samp{-s} or @samp{-S} is also specified, delete only local symbols
697 beginning with @samp{L}.
698
699 @item -x
700 @kindex -x
701 @cindex deleting local symbols
702 If @samp{-s} or @samp{-S} is also specified, delete all local symbols,
703 not just those beginning with @samp{L}.
704
705 @item -y @var{symbol}
706 @kindex -y @var{symbol}
707 @cindex symbol tracing
708 Print the name of each linked file in which @var{symbol} appears. This
709 option may be given any number of times. On many systems it is necessary
710 to prepend an underscore.
711
712 This option is useful when you have an undefined symbol in your link but
713 don't know where the reference is coming from.
714 @end table
715
716 @ifset UsesEnvVars
717 @node Environment
718 @section Environment Variables
719
720 You can change the behavior of @code{ld} with the environment
721 variable @code{GNUTARGET}.
722
723 @kindex GNUTARGET
724 @cindex default input format
725 @code{GNUTARGET} determines the input-file object format if you don't
726 use @samp{-b} (or its synonym @samp{-format}). Its value should be one
727 of the BFD names for an input format (@pxref{BFD}). If there is no
728 @code{GNUTARGET} in the environment, @code{ld} uses the natural format
729 of the target. If @code{GNUTARGET} is set to @code{default} then BFD attempts to discover the
730 input format by examining binary input files; this method often
731 succeeds, but there are potential ambiguities, since there is no method
732 of ensuring that the magic number used to specify object-file formats is
733 unique. However, the configuration procedure for BFD on each system
734 places the conventional format for that system first in the search-list,
735 so ambiguities are resolved in favor of convention.
736 @end ifset
737
738 @node Commands
739 @chapter Command Language
740
741 @cindex command files
742 The command language provides explicit control over the link process,
743 allowing complete specification of the mapping between the linker's
744 input files and its output. It controls:
745 @itemize @bullet
746 @item
747 input files
748 @item
749 file formats
750 @item
751 output file layout
752 @item
753 addresses of sections
754 @item
755 placement of common blocks
756 @end itemize
757
758 You may supply a command file (also known as a link script) to the
759 linker either explicitly through the @samp{-T} option, or implicitly as
760 an ordinary file. If the linker opens a file which it cannot recognize
761 as a supported object or archive format, it reports an error.
762
763 @menu
764 * Scripts:: Linker Scripts
765 * Expressions:: Expressions
766 * MEMORY:: MEMORY Command
767 * SECTIONS:: SECTIONS Command
768 * Entry Point:: The Entry Point
769 * Option Commands:: Option Commands
770 @end menu
771
772 @node Scripts
773 @section Linker Scripts
774 The @code{ld} command language is a collection of statements; some are
775 simple keywords setting a particular option, some are used to select and
776 group input files or name output files; and two statement
777 types have a fundamental and pervasive impact on the linking process.
778
779 @cindex fundamental script commands
780 @cindex commands, fundamental
781 @cindex output file layout
782 @cindex layout of output file
783 The most fundamental command of the @code{ld} command language is the
784 @code{SECTIONS} command (@pxref{SECTIONS}). Every meaningful command
785 script must have a @code{SECTIONS} command: it specifies a
786 ``picture'' of the output file's layout, in varying degrees of detail.
787 No other command is required in all cases.
788
789 The @code{MEMORY} command complements @code{SECTIONS} by describing the
790 available memory in the target architecture. This command is optional;
791 if you don't use a @code{MEMORY} command, @code{ld} assumes sufficient
792 memory is available in a contiguous block for all output.
793 @xref{MEMORY}.
794
795 @cindex comments
796 You may include comments in linker scripts just as in C: delimited
797 by @samp{/*} and @samp{*/}. As in C, comments are syntactically
798 equivalent to whitespace.
799
800 @node Expressions
801 @section Expressions
802 @cindex expression syntax
803 @cindex arithmetic
804 Many useful commands involve arithmetic expressions. The syntax for
805 expressions in the command language is identical to that of C
806 expressions, with the following features:
807 @itemize @bullet
808 @item
809 All expressions evaluated as integers and
810 are of ``long'' or ``unsigned long'' type.
811 @item
812 All constants are integers.
813 @item
814 All of the C arithmetic operators are provided.
815 @item
816 You may reference, define, and create global variables.
817 @item
818 You may call special purpose built-in functions.
819 @end itemize
820
821 @menu
822 * Integers:: Integers
823 * Symbols:: Symbol Names
824 * Location Counter:: The Location Counter
825 * Operators:: Operators
826 * Evaluation:: Evaluation
827 * Assignment:: Assignment: Defining Symbols
828 * Arithmetic Functions:: Built-In Functions
829 @end menu
830
831 @node Integers
832 @subsection Integers
833 @cindex integer notation
834 @cindex octal integers
835 An octal integer is @samp{0} followed by zero or more of the octal
836 digits (@samp{01234567}).
837 @example
838 _as_octal = 0157255;
839 @end example
840
841 @cindex decimal integers
842 A decimal integer starts with a non-zero digit followed by zero or
843 more digits (@samp{0123456789}).
844 @example
845 _as_decimal = 57005;
846 @end example
847
848 @cindex hexadecimal integers
849 @kindex 0x
850 A hexadecimal integer is @samp{0x} or @samp{0X} followed by one or
851 more hexadecimal digits chosen from @samp{0123456789abcdefABCDEF}.
852 @example
853 _as_hex = 0xdead;
854 @end example
855
856 @cindex negative integers
857 To write a negative integer, use
858 the prefix operator @samp{-}; @pxref{Operators}.
859 @example
860 _as_neg = -57005;
861 @end example
862
863 @cindex scaled integers
864 @cindex K and M integer suffixes
865 @cindex M and K integer suffixes
866 @cindex suffixes for integers
867 @cindex integer suffixes
868 Additionally the suffixes @code{K} and @code{M} may be used to scale a
869 constant by
870 @c TEXI2ROFF-KILL
871 @ifinfo
872 @c END TEXI2ROFF-KILL
873 @code{1024} or @code{1024*1024}
874 @c TEXI2ROFF-KILL
875 @end ifinfo
876 @tex
877 ${\rm 1024}$ or ${\rm 1024}^2$
878 @end tex
879 @c END TEXI2ROFF-KILL
880 respectively. For example, the following all refer to the same quantity:
881
882 @example
883 _fourk_1 = 4K;
884 _fourk_2 = 4096;
885 _fourk_3 = 0x1000;
886 @end example
887
888 @node Symbols
889 @subsection Symbol Names
890 @cindex symbol names
891 @cindex names
892 @cindex quoted symbol names
893 @kindex "
894 Unless quoted, symbol names start with a letter, underscore, or point
895 and may include any letters, underscores, digits, points,
896 and hyphens. Unquoted symbol names must not conflict with any
897 keywords. You can specify a symbol which contains odd characters or has
898 the same name as a keyword, by surrounding the symbol name in double quotes:
899 @example
900 "SECTION" = 9;
901 "with a space" = "also with a space" + 10;
902 @end example
903
904 Since symbols can contain many non-alphabetic characters, it is safest
905 to delimit symbols with spaces. For example, @samp{A-B} is one symbol,
906 whereas @samp{A - B} is an expression involving subtraction.
907
908 @node Location Counter
909 @subsection The Location Counter
910 @kindex .
911 @cindex dot
912 @cindex location counter
913 @cindex current output location
914 The special linker variable @dfn{dot} @samp{.} always contains the
915 current output location counter. Since the @code{.} always refers to
916 a location in an output section, it must always appear in an
917 expression within a @code{SECTIONS} command. The @code{.} symbol
918 may appear anywhere that an ordinary symbol is allowed in an
919 expression, but its assignments have a side effect. Assigning a value
920 to the @code{.} symbol will cause the location counter to be moved.
921 @cindex holes
922 This may be used to create holes in the output section. The location
923 counter may never be moved backwards.
924 @example
925 SECTIONS
926 @{
927 output :
928 @{
929 file1(.text)
930 . = . + 1000;
931 file2(.text)
932 . += 1000;
933 file3(.text)
934 @} = 0x1234;
935 @}
936 @end example
937 @noindent
938 In the previous example, @code{file1} is located at the beginning of the
939 output section, then there is a 1000 byte gap. Then @code{file2}
940 appears, also with a 1000 byte gap following before @code{file3} is
941 loaded. The notation @samp{= 0x1234} specifies what data to write in
942 the gaps (@pxref{Section Options}).
943
944 @node Operators
945 @subsection Operators
946 @cindex Operators for arithmetic
947 @cindex arithmetic operators
948 @cindex precedence in expressions
949 The linker recognizes the standard C set of arithmetic operators, with
950 the standard bindings and precedence levels:
951 @c TEXI2ROFF-KILL
952 @ifinfo
953 @c END TEXI2ROFF-KILL
954 @example
955 precedence associativity Operators Notes
956 (highest)
957 1 left ! - ~ (1)
958 2 left * / %
959 3 left + -
960 4 left >> <<
961 5 left == != > < <= >=
962 6 left &
963 7 left |
964 8 left &&
965 9 left ||
966 10 right ? :
967 11 right &= += -= *= /= (2)
968 (lowest)
969 @end example
970 Notes:
971 (1) Prefix operators
972 (2) @xref{Assignment}
973 @c TEXI2ROFF-KILL
974 @end ifinfo
975 @tex
976 \vskip \baselineskip
977 %"lispnarrowing" is the extra indent used generally for @example
978 \hskip\lispnarrowing\vbox{\offinterlineskip
979 \hrule
980 \halign
981 {\vrule#&\strut\hfil\ #\ \hfil&\vrule#&\strut\hfil\ #\ \hfil&\vrule#&\strut\hfil\ {\tt #}\ \hfil&\vrule#\cr
982 height2pt&\omit&&\omit&&\omit&\cr
983 &Precedence&& Associativity &&{\rm Operators}&\cr
984 height2pt&\omit&&\omit&&\omit&\cr
985 \noalign{\hrule}
986 height2pt&\omit&&\omit&&\omit&\cr
987 &highest&&&&&\cr
988 % '176 is tilde, '~' in tt font
989 &1&&left&&\qquad- \char'176\ !\qquad\dag&\cr
990 &2&&left&&* / \%&\cr
991 &3&&left&&+ -&\cr
992 &4&&left&&>> <<&\cr
993 &5&&left&&== != > < <= >=&\cr
994 &6&&left&&\&&\cr
995 &7&&left&&|&\cr
996 &8&&left&&{\&\&}&\cr
997 &9&&left&&||&\cr
998 &10&&right&&? :&\cr
999 &11&&right&&\qquad\&= += -= *= /=\qquad\ddag&\cr
1000 &lowest&&&&&\cr
1001 height2pt&\omit&&\omit&&\omit&\cr}
1002 \hrule}
1003 @end tex
1004 @iftex
1005 {
1006 @obeylines@parskip=0pt@parindent=0pt
1007 @dag@quad Prefix operators.
1008 @ddag@quad @xref{Assignment}.
1009 }
1010 @end iftex
1011 @c END TEXI2ROFF-KILL
1012
1013 @node Evaluation
1014 @subsection Evaluation
1015
1016 @cindex lazy evaluation
1017 @cindex expression evaluation order
1018 The linker uses ``lazy evaluation'' for expressions; it only calculates
1019 an expression when absolutely necessary. The linker needs the value of
1020 the start address, and the lengths of memory regions, in order to do any
1021 linking at all; these values are computed as soon as possible when the
1022 linker reads in the command file. However, other values (such as symbol
1023 values) are not known or needed until after storage allocation. Such
1024 values are evaluated later, when other information (such as the sizes of
1025 output sections) is available for use in the symbol assignment
1026 expression.
1027
1028 @node Assignment
1029 @subsection Assignment: Defining Symbols
1030 @cindex assignment in scripts
1031 @cindex symbol definition, scripts
1032 @cindex variables, defining
1033 You may create global symbols, and assign values (addresses) to global
1034 symbols, using any of the C assignment operators:
1035
1036 @table @code
1037 @item @var{symbol} = @var{expression} ;
1038 @itemx @var{symbol} &= @var{expression} ;
1039 @itemx @var{symbol} += @var{expression} ;
1040 @itemx @var{symbol} -= @var{expression} ;
1041 @itemx @var{symbol} *= @var{expression} ;
1042 @itemx @var{symbol} /= @var{expression} ;
1043 @end table
1044
1045 Two things distinguish assignment from other operators in @code{ld}
1046 expressions.
1047 @itemize @bullet
1048 @item
1049 Assignment may only be used at the root of an expression;
1050 @samp{a=b+3;} is allowed, but @samp{a+b=3;} is an error.
1051
1052 @kindex ;
1053 @cindex semicolon
1054 @item
1055 You must place a trailing semicolon (``@key{;}'') at the end of an
1056 assignment statement.
1057 @end itemize
1058
1059 Assignment statements may appear:
1060 @itemize @bullet
1061 @item
1062 as commands in their own right in an @code{ld} script; or
1063 @item
1064 as independent statements within a @code{SECTIONS} command; or
1065 @item
1066 as part of the contents of a section definition in a
1067 @code{SECTIONS} command.
1068 @end itemize
1069
1070 The first two cases are equivalent in effect---both define a symbol with
1071 an absolute address. The last case defines a symbol whose address is
1072 relative to a particular section (@pxref{SECTIONS}).
1073
1074 @cindex absolute and relocatable symbols
1075 @cindex relocatable and absolute symbols
1076 @cindex symbols, relocatable and absolute
1077 When a linker expression is evaluated and assigned to a variable, it is
1078 given either an absolute or a relocatable type. An absolute expression
1079 type is one in which the symbol contains the value that it will have in
1080 the output file; a relocatable expression type is one in which the
1081 value is expressed as a fixed offset from the base of a section.
1082
1083 The type of the expression is controlled by its position in the script
1084 file. A symbol assigned within a section definition is created relative
1085 to the base of the section; a symbol assigned in any other place is
1086 created as an absolute symbol. Since a symbol created within a
1087 section definition is relative to the base of the section, it
1088 will remain relocatable if relocatable output is requested. A symbol
1089 may be created with an absolute value even when assigned to within a
1090 section definition by using the absolute assignment function
1091 @code{ABSOLUTE}. For example, to create an absolute symbol whose address
1092 is the last byte of an output section named @code{.data}:
1093 @example
1094 SECTIONS@{ @dots{}
1095 .data :
1096 @{
1097 *(.data)
1098 _edata = ABSOLUTE(.) ;
1099 @}
1100 @dots{} @}
1101 @end example
1102
1103 The linker tries to put off the evaluation of an assignment until all
1104 the terms in the source expression are known (@pxref{Evaluation}). For
1105 instance, the sizes of sections cannot be known until after allocation,
1106 so assignments dependent upon these are not performed until after
1107 allocation. Some expressions, such as those depending upon the location
1108 counter @dfn{dot}, @samp{.} must be evaluated during allocation. If the
1109 result of an expression is required, but the value is not available,
1110 then an error results. For example, a script like the following
1111 @example
1112 SECTIONS @{ @dots{}
1113 text 9+this_isnt_constant :
1114 @{ @dots{}
1115 @}
1116 @dots{} @}
1117 @end example
1118 @kindex Non constant expression
1119 @noindent
1120 will cause the error message ``@code{Non constant expression for initial
1121 address}''.
1122
1123 @node Arithmetic Functions
1124 @subsection Arithmetic Functions
1125 @cindex functions in expression language
1126 The command language includes a number of built-in
1127 functions for use in link script expressions.
1128 @table @code
1129 @item ABSOLUTE(@var{exp})
1130 @kindex ABSOLUTE(@var{exp})
1131 @cindex expression, absolute
1132 Return the absolute (non-relocatable, as opposed to non-negative) value
1133 of the expression @var{exp}. Primarily useful to assign an absolute
1134 value to a symbol within a section definition, where symbol values are
1135 normally section-relative.
1136
1137 @item ADDR(@var{section})
1138 @kindex ADDR(@var{section})
1139 @cindex section address
1140 Return the absolute address of the named @var{section}. Your script must
1141 previously have defined the location of that section. In the following
1142 example, @code{symbol_1} and @code{symbol_2} are assigned identical
1143 values:
1144 @example
1145 SECTIONS@{ @dots{}
1146 .output1 :
1147 @{
1148 start_of_output_1 = ABSOLUTE(.);
1149 @dots{}
1150 @}
1151 .output :
1152 @{
1153 symbol_1 = ADDR(.output1);
1154 symbol_2 = start_of_output_1;
1155 @}
1156 @dots{} @}
1157 @end example
1158
1159 @item ALIGN(@var{exp})
1160 @kindex ALIGN(@var{exp})
1161 @cindex rounding up location counter
1162 Return the result of the current location counter (@code{.}) aligned to
1163 the next @var{exp} boundary. @var{exp} must be an expression whose
1164 value is a power of two. This is equivalent to
1165 @example
1166 (. + @var{exp} - 1) & ~(@var{exp} - 1)
1167 @end example
1168
1169 @code{ALIGN} doesn't change the value of the location counter---it just
1170 does arithmetic on it. As an example, to align the output @code{.data}
1171 section to the next @code{0x2000} byte boundary after the preceding
1172 section and to set a variable within the section to the next
1173 @code{0x8000} boundary after the input sections:
1174 @example
1175 SECTIONS@{ @dots{}
1176 .data ALIGN(0x2000): @{
1177 *(.data)
1178 variable = ALIGN(0x8000);
1179 @}
1180 @dots{} @}
1181 @end example
1182 @noindent
1183 The first use of @code{ALIGN} in this example specifies the location of
1184 a section because it is used as the optional @var{start} attribute of a
1185 section definition (@pxref{Section Options}). The second use simply
1186 defines the value of a variable.
1187
1188 The built-in @code{NEXT} is closely related to @code{ALIGN}.
1189
1190 @item DEFINED(@var{symbol})
1191 @kindex DEFINED(@var{symbol})
1192 @cindex symbol defaults
1193 Return 1 if @var{symbol} is in the linker global symbol table and is
1194 defined, otherwise return 0. You can use this function to provide default
1195 values for symbols. For example, the following command-file fragment shows how
1196 to set a global symbol @code{begin} to the first location in the
1197 @code{.text} section---but if a symbol called @code{begin} already
1198 existed, its value is preserved:
1199 @smallexample
1200 SECTIONS@{ @dots{}
1201 .text : @{
1202 begin = DEFINED(begin) ? begin : . ;
1203 @dots{}
1204 @}
1205 @dots{} @}
1206 @end smallexample
1207
1208 @item NEXT(@var{exp})
1209 @kindex NEXT(@var{exp})
1210 @cindex unallocated address, next
1211 Return the next unallocated address that is a multiple of @var{exp}.
1212 This function is closely related to @code{ALIGN(@var{exp})}; unless you
1213 use the @code{MEMORY} command to define discontinuous memory for the
1214 output file, the two functions are equivalent.
1215
1216 @item SIZEOF(@var{section})
1217 @kindex SIZEOF(@var{section})
1218 @cindex section size
1219 Return the size in bytes of the named @var{section}, if that section has
1220 been allocated. In the following example, @code{symbol_1} and
1221 @code{symbol_2} are assigned identical values:
1222 @c What does it return if the section hasn't been allocated? 0?
1223 @example
1224 SECTIONS@{ @dots{}
1225 .output @{
1226 .start = . ;
1227 @dots{}
1228 .end = . ;
1229 @}
1230 symbol_1 = .end - .start ;
1231 symbol_2 = SIZEOF(.output);
1232 @dots{} @}
1233
1234 @end example
1235
1236 @item SIZEOF_HEADERS
1237 @kindex SIZEOF_HEADERS
1238 @cindex header size
1239 @itemx sizeof_headers
1240 @kindex sizeof_headers
1241 Return the size in bytes of the output file's headers. You can use this number
1242 as the start address of the first section, if you choose, to facilitate
1243 paging.
1244
1245 @end table
1246
1247 @node MEMORY
1248 @section Memory Layout
1249 @kindex MEMORY
1250 @cindex regions of memory
1251 @cindex discontinuous memory
1252 @cindex allocating memory
1253 The linker's default configuration permits allocation of all available memory.
1254 You can override this configuration by using the @code{MEMORY} command. The
1255 @code{MEMORY} command describes the location and size of blocks of
1256 memory in the target. By using it carefully, you can describe which
1257 memory regions may be used by the linker, and which memory regions it
1258 must avoid. The linker does not shuffle sections to fit into the
1259 available regions, but does move the requested sections into the correct
1260 regions and issue errors when the regions become too full.
1261
1262 A command file may contain at most one use of the @code{MEMORY}
1263 command; however, you can define as many blocks of memory within it as
1264 you wish. The syntax is:
1265
1266 @example
1267 MEMORY
1268 @{
1269 @var{name} (@var{attr}) : ORIGIN = @var{origin}, LENGTH = @var{len}
1270 @dots{}
1271 @}
1272 @end example
1273 @table @code
1274 @item @var{name}
1275 @cindex naming memory regions
1276 is a name used internally by the linker to refer to the region. Any
1277 symbol name may be used. The region names are stored in a separate
1278 name space, and will not conflict with symbols, file names or section
1279 names. Use distinct names to specify multiple regions.
1280 @item (@var{attr})
1281 @cindex memory region attributes
1282 is an optional list of attributes, permitted for compatibility with the
1283 AT&T linker but not used by @code{ld} beyond checking that the
1284 attribute list is valid. Valid attribute lists must be made up of the
1285 characters ``@code{LIRWX}''. If you omit the attribute list, you may
1286 omit the parentheses around it as well.
1287 @item @var{origin}
1288 @kindex ORIGIN =
1289 @kindex o =
1290 @kindex org =
1291 is the start address of the region in physical memory. It is
1292 an expression that must evaluate to a constant before
1293 memory allocation is performed. The keyword @code{ORIGIN} may be
1294 abbreviated to @code{org} or @code{o} (but not, for example, @samp{ORG}).
1295 @item @var{len}
1296 @kindex LENGTH =
1297 @kindex len =
1298 @kindex l =
1299 is the size in bytes of the region (an expression).
1300 The keyword @code{LENGTH} may be abbreviated to @code{len} or @code{l}.
1301 @end table
1302
1303 For example, to specify that memory has two regions available for
1304 allocation---one starting at 0 for 256 kilobytes, and the other
1305 starting at @code{0x40000000} for four megabytes:
1306
1307 @example
1308 MEMORY
1309 @{
1310 rom : ORIGIN = 0, LENGTH = 256K
1311 ram : org = 0x40000000, l = 4M
1312 @}
1313 @end example
1314
1315 Once you have defined a region of memory named @var{mem}, you can direct
1316 specific output sections there by using a command ending in
1317 @samp{>@var{mem}} within the @code{SECTIONS} command (@pxref{Section
1318 Options}). If the combined output sections directed to a region are too
1319 big for the region, the linker will issue an error message.
1320
1321 @node SECTIONS
1322 @section Specifying Output Sections
1323
1324 @kindex SECTIONS
1325 The @code{SECTIONS} command controls exactly where input sections are
1326 placed into output sections, their order in the output file, and to
1327 which output sections they are allocated.
1328
1329 You may use at most one @code{SECTIONS} command in a script file,
1330 but you can have as many statements within it as you wish. Statements
1331 within the @code{SECTIONS} command can do one of three things:
1332
1333 @itemize @bullet
1334 @item
1335 define the entry point;
1336
1337 @item
1338 assign a value to a symbol;
1339
1340 @item
1341 describe the placement of a named output section, and which input
1342 sections go into it.
1343 @end itemize
1344
1345 You can also use the first two operations---defining the entry point and
1346 defining symbols---outside the @code{SECTIONS} command: @pxref{Entry
1347 Point}, and @pxref{Assignment}. They are permitted here as well for
1348 your convenience in reading the script, so that symbols and the entry
1349 point can be defined at meaningful points in your output-file layout.
1350
1351 If you do not use a @code{SECTIONS} command, the linker places each input
1352 section into an identically named output section in the order that the
1353 sections are first encountered in the input files. If all input sections
1354 are present in the first file, for example, the order of sections in the
1355 output file will match the order in the first input file.
1356
1357 @menu
1358 * Section Definition:: Section Definitions
1359 * Section Placement:: Section Placement
1360 * Section Data Expressions:: Section Data Expressions
1361 * Section Options:: Optional Section Attributes
1362 @end menu
1363
1364 @node Section Definition
1365 @subsection Section Definitions
1366 @cindex section definition
1367 The most frequently used statement in the @code{SECTIONS} command is
1368 the @dfn{section definition}, which specifies the
1369 properties of an output section: its location, alignment, contents,
1370 fill pattern, and target memory region. Most of
1371 these specifications are optional; the simplest form of a section
1372 definition is
1373 @example
1374 SECTIONS @{ @dots{}
1375 @var{secname} : @{
1376 @var{contents}
1377 @}
1378 @dots{} @}
1379 @end example
1380 @cindex naming output sections
1381 @noindent
1382 @var{secname} is the name of the output section, and @var{contents} a
1383 specification of what goes there---for example, a list of input files or
1384 sections of input files (@pxref{Section Placement}). As you might
1385 assume, the whitespace shown is optional. You do need the colon
1386 @samp{:} and the braces @samp{@{@}}, however.
1387
1388 @var{secname} must meet the constraints of your output format. In
1389 formats which only support a limited number of sections, such as
1390 @code{a.out}, the name must be one of the names supported by the format
1391 (@code{a.out}, for example, allows only @code{.text}, @code{.data} or
1392 @code{.bss}). If the output format supports any number of sections, but
1393 with numbers and not names (as is the case for Oasys), the name should be
1394 supplied as a quoted numeric string. A section name may consist of any
1395 sequence of characters, but any name which does not conform to the standard
1396 @code{ld} symbol name syntax must be quoted.
1397 @xref{Symbols, , Symbol Names}.
1398
1399 @node Section Placement
1400 @subsection Section Placement
1401
1402 @cindex contents of a section
1403 In a section definition, you can specify the contents of an output
1404 section by listing particular input files, by listing particular
1405 input-file sections, or by a combination of the two. You can also place
1406 arbitrary data in the section, and define symbols relative to the
1407 beginning of the section.
1408
1409 The @var{contents} of a section definition may include any of the
1410 following kinds of statement. You can include as many of these as you
1411 like in a single section definition, separated from one another by
1412 whitespace.
1413
1414 @table @code
1415 @item @var{filename}
1416 @kindex @var{filename}
1417 @cindex input files, section defn
1418 @cindex files, including in output sections
1419 You may simply name a particular input file to be placed in the current
1420 output section; @emph{all} sections from that file are placed in the
1421 current section definition. If the file name has already been mentioned
1422 in another section definition, with an explicit section name list, then
1423 only those sections which have not yet been allocated are used.
1424
1425 To specify a list of particular files by name:
1426 @example
1427 .data : @{ afile.o bfile.o cfile.o @}
1428 @end example
1429 @noindent
1430 The example also illustrates that multiple statements can be included in
1431 the contents of a section definition, since each file name is a separate
1432 statement.
1433
1434 @item @var{filename}( @var{section} )
1435 @itemx @var{filename}( @var{section}, @var{section}, @dots{} )
1436 @itemx @var{filename}( @var{section} @var{section} @dots{} )
1437 @kindex @var{filename}(@var{section})
1438 @cindex files and sections, section defn
1439 You can name one or more sections from your input files, for
1440 insertion in the current output section. If you wish to specify a list
1441 of input-file sections inside the parentheses, you may separate the
1442 section names by either commas or whitespace.
1443
1444 @item * (@var{section})
1445 @itemx * (@var{section}, @var{section}, @dots{})
1446 @itemx * (@var{section} @var{section} @dots{})
1447 @cindex input sections to output section
1448 @kindex *(@var{section})
1449 Instead of explicitly naming particular input files in a link control
1450 script, you can refer to @emph{all} files from the @code{ld} command
1451 line: use @samp{*} instead of a particular file name before the
1452 parenthesized input-file section list.
1453
1454 If you have already explicitly included some files by name, @samp{*}
1455 refers to all @emph{remaining} files---those whose places in the output
1456 file have not yet been defined.
1457
1458 For example, to copy sections @code{1} through @code{4} from an Oasys file
1459 into the @code{.text} section of an @code{a.out} file, and sections @code{13}
1460 and @code{14} into the @code{.data} section:
1461 @example
1462 SECTIONS @{
1463 .text :@{
1464 *("1" "2" "3" "4")
1465 @}
1466
1467 .data :@{
1468 *("13" "14")
1469 @}
1470 @}
1471 @end example
1472
1473 @samp{[ @var{section} @dots{} ]} used to be accepted as an alternate way
1474 to specify named sections from all unallocated input files. Because
1475 some operating systems (VMS) allow brackets in file names, that notation
1476 is no longer supported.
1477
1478 @item @var{filename}@code{( COMMON )}
1479 @itemx *( COMMON )
1480 @kindex *( COMMON )
1481 @cindex uninitialized data
1482 @cindex commons in output
1483 Specify where in your output file to place uninitialized data
1484 with this notation. @code{*(COMMON)} by itself refers to all
1485 uninitialized data from all input files (so far as it is not yet
1486 allocated); @var{filename}@code{(COMMON)} refers to uninitialized data
1487 from a particular file. Both are special cases of the general
1488 mechanisms for specifying where to place input-file sections:
1489 @code{ld} permits you to refer to uninitialized data as if it
1490 were in an input-file section named @code{COMMON}, regardless of the
1491 input file's format.
1492 @end table
1493
1494 For example, the following command script arranges the output file into
1495 three consecutive sections, named @code{.text}, @code{.data}, and
1496 @code{.bss}, taking the input for each from the correspondingly named
1497 sections of all the input files:
1498 @example
1499 SECTIONS @{
1500 .text : @{ *(.text) @}
1501 .data : @{ *(.data) @}
1502 .bss : @{ *(.bss) *(COMMON) @}
1503 @}
1504 @end example
1505
1506 The following example reads all of the sections from file @code{all.o}
1507 and places them at the start of output section @code{outputa} which
1508 starts at location @code{0x10000}. All of section @code{.input1} from
1509 file @code{foo.o} follows immediately, in the same output section. All
1510 of section @code{.input2} from @code{foo.o} goes into output section
1511 @code{outputb}, followed by section @code{.input1} from @code{foo1.o}.
1512 All of the remaining @code{.input1} and @code{.input2} sections from any
1513 files are written to output section @code{outputc}.
1514
1515 @example
1516 SECTIONS @{
1517 outputa 0x10000 :
1518 @{
1519 all.o
1520 foo.o (.input1)
1521 @}
1522 outputb :
1523 @{
1524 foo.o (.input2)
1525 foo1.o (.input1)
1526 @}
1527 outputc :
1528 @{
1529 *(.input1)
1530 *(.input2)
1531 @}
1532 @}
1533 @end example
1534
1535 @node Section Data Expressions
1536 @subsection Section Data Expressions
1537
1538 @cindex expressions in a section
1539 The foregoing statements arrange, in your output file, data originating
1540 from your input files. You can also place data directly in an output
1541 section from the link command script. Most of these additional
1542 statements involve expressions; @pxref{Expressions}. Although these
1543 statements are shown separately here for ease of presentation, no such
1544 segregation is needed within a section definition in the @code{SECTIONS}
1545 command; you can intermix them freely with any of the statements we've
1546 just described.
1547
1548 @table @code
1549 @item CREATE_OBJECT_SYMBOLS
1550 @kindex CREATE_OBJECT_SYMBOLS
1551 @cindex input filename symbols
1552 @cindex filename symbols
1553 Create a symbol for each input file
1554 in the current section, set to the address of the first byte of
1555 data written from that input file. For instance, with @code{a.out}
1556 files it is conventional to have a symbol for each input file. You can
1557 accomplish this by defining the output @code{.text} section as follows:
1558 @example
1559 SECTIONS @{
1560 .text 0x2020 :
1561 @{
1562 CREATE_OBJECT_SYMBOLS
1563 *(.text)
1564 _etext = ALIGN(0x2000);
1565 @}
1566 @dots{}
1567 @}
1568 @end example
1569
1570 If @code{sample.ld} is a file containing this script, and @code{a.o},
1571 @code{b.o}, @code{c.o}, and @code{d.o} are four input files with
1572 contents like the following---
1573 @example
1574 /* a.c */
1575
1576 afunction() @{ @}
1577 int adata=1;
1578 int abss;
1579 @end example
1580
1581 @noindent
1582 @samp{ld -M -T sample.ld a.o b.o c.o d.o} would create a map like this,
1583 containing symbols matching the object file names:
1584 @example
1585 00000000 A __DYNAMIC
1586 00004020 B _abss
1587 00004000 D _adata
1588 00002020 T _afunction
1589 00004024 B _bbss
1590 00004008 D _bdata
1591 00002038 T _bfunction
1592 00004028 B _cbss
1593 00004010 D _cdata
1594 00002050 T _cfunction
1595 0000402c B _dbss
1596 00004018 D _ddata
1597 00002068 T _dfunction
1598 00004020 D _edata
1599 00004030 B _end
1600 00004000 T _etext
1601 00002020 t a.o
1602 00002038 t b.o
1603 00002050 t c.o
1604 00002068 t d.o
1605 @end example
1606
1607 @item @var{symbol} = @var{expression} ;
1608 @kindex @var{symbol} = @var{expression} ;
1609 @itemx @var{symbol} @var{f}= @var{expression} ;
1610 @kindex @var{symbol} @var{f}= @var{expression} ;
1611 @var{symbol} is any symbol name (@pxref{Symbols}). ``@var{f}=''
1612 refers to any of the operators @code{&= += -= *= /=} which combine
1613 arithmetic and assignment.
1614
1615 @cindex assignment, in section defn
1616 When you assign a value to a symbol within a particular section
1617 definition, the value is relative to the beginning of the section
1618 (@pxref{Assignment}). If you write
1619 @example
1620 SECTIONS @{
1621 abs = 14 ;
1622 @dots{}
1623 .data : @{ @dots{} rel = 14 ; @dots{} @}
1624 abs2 = 14 + ADDR(.data);
1625 @dots{}
1626 @}
1627 @end example
1628 @c FIXME: Try above example!
1629 @noindent
1630 @code{abs} and @code{rel} do not have the same value; @code{rel} has the
1631 same value as @code{abs2}.
1632
1633 @item BYTE(@var{expression})
1634 @kindex BYTE(@var{expression})
1635 @itemx SHORT(@var{expression})
1636 @kindex SHORT(@var{expression})
1637 @itemx LONG(@var{expression})
1638 @kindex LONG(@var{expression})
1639 @itemx QUAD(@var{expression})
1640 @kindex QUAD(@var{expression})
1641 @cindex direct output
1642 By including one of these four statements in a section definition, you
1643 can explicitly place one, two, four, or eight bytes (respectively) at
1644 the current address of that section. @code{QUAD} is only supported when
1645 using a 64 bit host or target.
1646
1647 @ifclear SingleFormat
1648 Multiple-byte quantities are represented in whatever byte order is
1649 appropriate for the output file format (@pxref{BFD}).
1650 @end ifclear
1651
1652 @item FILL(@var{expression})
1653 @kindex FILL(@var{expression})
1654 @cindex holes, filling
1655 @cindex unspecified memory
1656 Specify the ``fill pattern'' for the current section. Any otherwise
1657 unspecified regions of memory within the section (for example, regions
1658 you skip over by assigning a new value to the location counter @samp{.})
1659 are filled with the two least significant bytes from the
1660 @var{expression} argument. A @code{FILL} statement covers memory
1661 locations @emph{after} the point it occurs in the section definition; by
1662 including more than one @code{FILL} statement, you can have different
1663 fill patterns in different parts of an output section.
1664 @end table
1665
1666 @node Section Options
1667 @subsection Optional Section Attributes
1668 @cindex section defn, full syntax
1669 Here is the full syntax of a section definition, including all the
1670 optional portions:
1671
1672 @smallexample
1673 SECTIONS @{
1674 @dots{}
1675 @var{secname} @var{start} BLOCK(@var{align}) (NOLOAD) : AT ( @var{ldadr} )
1676 @{ @var{contents} @} =@var{fill} >@var{region}
1677 @dots{}
1678 @}
1679 @end smallexample
1680
1681 @var{secname} and @var{contents} are required. @xref{Section
1682 Definition}, and @pxref{Section Placement} for details on
1683 @var{contents}. The remaining elements---@var{start},
1684 @code{BLOCK(@var{align)}}, @code{(NOLOAD)}, @code{AT ( @var{ldadr} )},
1685 @code{=@var{fill}}, and @code{>@var{region}}---are all optional.
1686
1687 @table @code
1688 @item @var{start}
1689 @cindex start address, section
1690 @cindex section start
1691 @cindex section address
1692 You can force the output section to be loaded at a specified address by
1693 specifying @var{start} immediately following the section name.
1694 @var{start} can be represented as any expression. The following
1695 example generates section @var{output} at location
1696 @code{0x40000000}:
1697 @example
1698 SECTIONS @{
1699 @dots{}
1700 output 0x40000000: @{
1701 @dots{}
1702 @}
1703 @dots{}
1704 @}
1705 @end example
1706
1707 @item BLOCK(@var{align})
1708 @kindex BLOCK(@var{align})
1709 @cindex section alignment
1710 @cindex aligning sections
1711 You can include @code{BLOCK()} specification to advance
1712 the location counter @code{.} prior to the beginning of the section, so
1713 that the section will begin at the specified alignment. @var{align} is
1714 an expression.
1715
1716 @kindex NOLOAD
1717 @cindex prevent unnecessary loading
1718 @cindex loading, preventing
1719 @item (NOLOAD)
1720 Use @samp{(NOLOAD)} to prevent a section from being loaded into memory
1721 each time it is accessed. For example, in the script sample below, the
1722 @code{ROM} segment is addressed at memory location @samp{0} and does not
1723 need to be loaded into each object file:
1724
1725 @example
1726 SECTIONS @{
1727 ROM 0 (NOLOAD) : @{ @dots{} @}
1728 @dots{}
1729 @}
1730 @end example
1731
1732 @kindex AT ( @var{ldadr} )
1733 @cindex specify load address
1734 @cindex load address, specifying
1735 @item AT ( @var{ldadr} )
1736 The expression @var{ldadr} that follows the @code{AT} keyword specifies
1737 the load address of the section. The default (if you do not use the
1738 @code{AT} keyword) is to make the load address the same as the
1739 relocation address. This feature is designed to make it easy to build a
1740 ROM image. For example, this @code{SECTIONS} definition creates two
1741 output sections: one called @samp{.text}, which starts at @code{0x1000},
1742 and one called @samp{.mdata}, which is loaded at the end of the
1743 @samp{.text} section even though its relocation address is
1744 @code{0x2000}. The symbol @code{_data} is defined with the value
1745 @code{0x2000}:
1746
1747 @smallexample
1748 SECTIONS
1749 @{
1750 .text 0x1000 : @{ *(.text) _etext = . ; @}
1751 .mdata 0x2000 : AT ( ADDR(.text) + SIZEOF ( .text ) )
1752 @{ _data = . ; *(.data); _edata = . ; @}
1753 .bss 0x3000 : @{ _bstart = . ; *(.bss) *(COMMON) ; _bend = . ;@}
1754 @}
1755 @end smallexample
1756
1757 The run-time initialization code (for C programs, usually @code{crt0})
1758 for use with a ROM generated this way has to include something like
1759 the following, to copy the initialized data from the ROM image to its runtime
1760 address:
1761
1762 @example
1763 /* ROM has data glommed at end of text; copy it. */
1764 char *src = _etext;
1765 char *dst = _data;
1766
1767 while (dst < _edata) @{
1768 *dst++ = *src++;
1769 @}
1770
1771 /* Zero bss */
1772 for (dst = _bstart; dst< _bend; dst++)
1773 *dst = 0;
1774 @end example
1775
1776 @item =@var{fill}
1777 @kindex =@var{fill}
1778 @cindex section fill pattern
1779 @cindex fill pattern, entire section
1780 Including
1781 @code{=@var{fill}} in a section definition specifies the initial fill
1782 value for that section.
1783 You may use any expression to specify @var{fill}.
1784 Any unallocated holes in the current output
1785 section when written to the output file will be filled with the two
1786 least significant bytes of the value, repeated as necessary. You can
1787 also change the fill value with a @code{FILL} statement in the
1788 @var{contents} of a section definition.
1789
1790 @item >@var{region}
1791 @kindex >@var{region}
1792 @cindex section, assigning to memory region
1793 @cindex memory regions and sections
1794 Assign this section to a previously defined region of memory.
1795 @xref{MEMORY}.
1796
1797 @end table
1798
1799 @node Entry Point
1800 @section The Entry Point
1801 @kindex ENTRY(@var{symbol})
1802 @cindex start of execution
1803 @cindex first instruction
1804 The linker command language includes a command specifically for
1805 defining the first executable instruction in an output file (its
1806 @dfn{entry point}). Its argument is a symbol name:
1807 @example
1808 ENTRY(@var{symbol})
1809 @end example
1810
1811 Like symbol assignments, the @code{ENTRY} command may be placed either
1812 as an independent command in the command file, or among the section
1813 definitions within the @code{SECTIONS} command---whatever makes the most
1814 sense for your layout.
1815
1816 @cindex entry point, defaults
1817 @code{ENTRY} is only one of several ways of choosing the entry point.
1818 You may indicate it in any of the following ways (shown in descending
1819 order of priority: methods higher in the list override methods lower down).
1820 @itemize @bullet
1821 @item
1822 the @samp{-e} @var{entry} command-line option;
1823 @item
1824 the @code{ENTRY(@var{symbol})} command in a linker control script;
1825 @item
1826 the value of the symbol @code{start}, if present;
1827 @item
1828 the value of the symbol @code{_main}, if present;
1829 @item
1830 the address of the first byte of the @code{.text} section, if present;
1831 @item
1832 The address @code{0}.
1833 @end itemize
1834
1835 For example, you can use these rules to generate an entry point with an
1836 assignment statement: if no symbol @code{start} is defined within your
1837 input files, you can simply define it, assigning it an appropriate
1838 value---
1839 @example
1840 start = 0x2020;
1841 @end example
1842
1843 @noindent
1844 The example shows an absolute address, but you can use any expression.
1845 For example, if your input object files use some other symbol-name
1846 convention for the entry point, you can just assign the value of
1847 whatever symbol contains the start address to @code{start}:
1848 @example
1849 start = other_symbol ;
1850 @end example
1851
1852 @node Option Commands
1853 @section Option Commands
1854 The command language includes a number of other commands that you can
1855 use for specialized purposes. They are similar in purpose to
1856 command-line options.
1857
1858 @table @code
1859 @kindex CONSTRUCTORS
1860 @cindex C++ constructors, arranging in link
1861 @cindex constructors, arranging in link
1862 @item CONSTRUCTORS
1863 This command ties up C++ style constructor and destructor records. The
1864 details of the constructor representation vary from one object format to
1865 another, but usually lists of constructors and destructors appear as
1866 special sections. The @code{CONSTRUCTORS} command specifies where the
1867 linker is to place the data from these sections, relative to the rest of
1868 the linked output. Constructor data is marked by the symbol
1869 @w{@code{__CTOR_LIST__}} at the start, and @w{@code{__CTOR_LIST_END}} at
1870 the end; destructor data is bracketed similarly, between
1871 @w{@code{__DTOR_LIST__}} and @w{@code{__DTOR_LIST_END}}. (The compiler
1872 must arrange to actually run this code; GNU C++ calls constructors from
1873 a subroutine @code{__main}, which it inserts automatically into the
1874 startup code for @code{main}, and destructors from @code{_exit}.)
1875
1876 @kindex FLOAT
1877 @kindex NOFLOAT
1878 @item FLOAT
1879 @itemx NOFLOAT
1880 These keywords were used in some older linkers to request a particular
1881 math subroutine library. @code{ld} doesn't use the keywords, assuming
1882 instead that any necessary subroutines are in libraries specified using
1883 the general mechanisms for linking to archives; but to permit the use of
1884 scripts that were written for the older linkers, the keywords
1885 @code{FLOAT} and @code{NOFLOAT} are accepted and ignored.
1886
1887 @kindex FORCE_COMMON_ALLOCATION
1888 @cindex common allocation
1889 @item FORCE_COMMON_ALLOCATION
1890 This command has the same effect as the @samp{-d} command-line option:
1891 to make @code{ld} assign space to common symbols even if a relocatable
1892 output file is specified (@samp{-r}).
1893
1894 @kindex INPUT ( @var{files} )
1895 @cindex binary input files
1896 @item INPUT ( @var{file}, @var{file}, @dots{} )
1897 @itemx INPUT ( @var{file} @var{file} @dots{} )
1898 Use this command to include binary input files in the link, without
1899 including them in a particular section definition.
1900 Specify the full name for each @var{file}, including @samp{.a} if
1901 required.
1902
1903 @code{ld} searches for each @var{file} through the archive-library
1904 search path, just as for files you specify on the command line.
1905 See the description of @samp{-L} in @ref{Options,,Command Line
1906 Options}.
1907
1908 @ignore
1909 @item MAP ( @var{name} )
1910 @kindex MAP ( @var{name} )
1911 @c MAP(...) appears to look for an F in the arg, ignoring all other
1912 @c chars; if it finds one, it sets "map_option_f" to true. But nothing
1913 @c checks map_option_f. Apparently a stub for the future...
1914 @end ignore
1915
1916 @item OUTPUT ( @var{filename} )
1917 @kindex OUTPUT ( @var{filename} )
1918 @cindex naming the output file
1919 Use this command to name the link output file @var{filename}. The
1920 effect of @code{OUTPUT(@var{filename})} is identical to the effect of
1921 @w{@samp{-o @var{filename}}}, which overrides it. You can use this
1922 command to supply a default output-file name other than @code{a.out}.
1923
1924 @ifclear SingleFormat
1925 @item OUTPUT_ARCH ( @var{bfdname} )
1926 @kindex OUTPUT_ARCH ( @var{bfdname} )
1927 @cindex machine architecture, output
1928 Specify a particular output machine architecture, with one of the names
1929 used by the BFD back-end routines (@pxref{BFD}). This command is often
1930 unnecessary; the architecture is most often set implicitly by either the
1931 system BFD configuration or as a side effect of the @code{OUTPUT_FORMAT}
1932 command.
1933
1934 @item OUTPUT_FORMAT ( @var{bfdname} )
1935 @kindex OUTPUT_FORMAT ( @var{bfdname} )
1936 @cindex format, output file
1937 When @code{ld} is configured to support multiple object code formats,
1938 you can use this command to specify a particular output format.
1939 @var{bfdname} is one of the names used by the BFD back-end routines
1940 (@pxref{BFD}). The effect is identical to the effect of the
1941 @samp{-oformat} command-line option. This selection affects only
1942 the output file; the related command @code{TARGET} affects primarily
1943 input files.
1944 @end ifclear
1945
1946 @item SEARCH_DIR ( @var{path} )
1947 @kindex SEARCH_DIR ( @var{path} )
1948 @cindex path for libraries
1949 @cindex search path, libraries
1950 Add @var{path} to the list of paths where @code{ld} looks for
1951 archive libraries. @code{SEARCH_DIR(@var{path})} has the same
1952 effect as @samp{-L@var{path}} on the command line.
1953
1954 @item STARTUP ( @var{filename} )
1955 @kindex STARTUP ( @var{filename} )
1956 @cindex first input file
1957 Ensure that @var{filename} is the first input file used in the link
1958 process.
1959
1960 @ifclear SingleFormat
1961 @item TARGET ( @var{format} )
1962 @cindex input file format
1963 @kindex TARGET ( @var{format} )
1964 When @code{ld} is configured to support multiple object code formats,
1965 you can use this command to change the input-file object code format
1966 (like the command-line option @samp{-b} or its synonym @samp{-format}).
1967 The argument @var{format} is one of the strings used by BFD to name
1968 binary formats. If @code{TARGET} is specified but @code{OUTPUT_FORMAT}
1969 is not, the last @code{TARGET} argument is also used as the default
1970 format for the @code{ld} output file. @xref{BFD}.
1971
1972 @kindex GNUTARGET
1973 If you don't use the @code{TARGET} command, @code{ld} uses the value of
1974 the environment variable @code{GNUTARGET}, if available, to select the
1975 output file format. If that variable is also absent, @code{ld} uses
1976 the default format configured for your machine in the BFD libraries.
1977 @end ifclear
1978 @end table
1979
1980 @ifset GENERIC
1981 @node Machine Dependent
1982 @chapter Machine Dependent Features
1983
1984 @cindex machine dependencies
1985 @code{ld} has additional features on some platforms; the following
1986 sections describe them. Machines where @code{ld} has no additional
1987 functionality are not listed.
1988
1989 @menu
1990 * H8/300:: @code{ld} and the H8/300
1991 * i960:: @code{ld} and the Intel 960 family
1992 @end menu
1993 @end ifset
1994
1995 @c FIXME! This could use @raisesections/@lowersections, but there seems to be a conflict
1996 @c between those and node-defaulting.
1997 @ifset H8300
1998 @ifclear GENERIC
1999 @raisesections
2000 @end ifclear
2001 @node H8/300
2002 @section @code{ld} and the H8/300
2003
2004 @cindex H8/300 support
2005 For the H8/300, @code{ld} can perform these global optimizations when
2006 you specify the @samp{-relax} command-line option.
2007
2008 @table @emph
2009 @item relaxing address modes
2010 @cindex relaxing on H8/300
2011 @code{ld} finds all @code{jsr} and @code{jmp} instructions whose
2012 targets are within eight bits, and turns them into eight-bit
2013 program-counter relative @code{bsr} and @code{bra} instructions,
2014 respectively.
2015
2016 @item synthesizing instructions
2017 @cindex synthesizing on H8/300
2018 @c FIXME: specifically mov.b, or any mov instructions really?
2019 @code{ld} finds all @code{mov.b} instructions which use the
2020 sixteen-bit absolute address form, but refer to the top
2021 page of memory, and changes them to use the eight-bit address form.
2022 (That is: the linker turns @samp{mov.b @code{@@}@var{aa}:16} into
2023 @samp{mov.b @code{@@}@var{aa}:8} whenever the address @var{aa} is in the
2024 top page of memory).
2025 @end table
2026 @ifclear GENERIC
2027 @lowersections
2028 @end ifclear
2029 @end ifset
2030
2031 @ifset I960
2032 @ifclear GENERIC
2033 @raisesections
2034 @end ifclear
2035 @node i960
2036 @section @code{ld} and the Intel 960 family
2037
2038 @cindex i960 support
2039
2040 You can use the @samp{-A@var{architecture}} command line option to
2041 specify one of the two-letter names identifying members of the 960
2042 family; the option specifies the desired output target, and warns of any
2043 incompatible instructions in the input files. It also modifies the
2044 linker's search strategy for archive libraries, to support the use of
2045 libraries specific to each particular architecture, by including in the
2046 search loop names suffixed with the string identifying the architecture.
2047
2048 For example, if your @code{ld} command line included @w{@samp{-ACA}} as
2049 well as @w{@samp{-ltry}}, the linker would look (in its built-in search
2050 paths, and in any paths you specify with @samp{-L}) for a library with
2051 the names
2052
2053 @example
2054 try
2055 libtry.a
2056 tryca
2057 libtryca.a
2058 @end example
2059
2060 @noindent
2061 The first two possibilities would be considered in any event; the last
2062 two are due to the use of @w{@samp{-ACA}}.
2063
2064 You can meaningfully use @samp{-A} more than once on a command line, since
2065 the 960 architecture family allows combination of target architectures; each
2066 use will add another pair of name variants to search for when @w{@samp{-l}}
2067 specifies a library.
2068
2069 @cindex @code{-relax} on i960
2070 @cindex relaxing on i960
2071 @code{ld} supports the @samp{-relax} option for the i960 family. If you
2072 specify @samp{-relax}, @code{ld} finds all @code{balx} and @code{calx}
2073 instructions whose targets are within 24 bits, and turns them into
2074 24-bit program-counter relative @code{bal} and @code{cal}
2075 instructions, respectively. @code{ld} also turns @code{cal}
2076 instructions into @code{bal} instructions when it determines that the
2077 target subroutine is a leaf routine (that is, the target subroutine does
2078 not itself call any subroutines).
2079
2080 @ifclear GENERIC
2081 @lowersections
2082 @end ifclear
2083 @end ifset
2084
2085 @ifclear SingleFormat
2086 @node BFD
2087 @chapter BFD
2088
2089 @cindex back end
2090 @cindex object file management
2091 The linker accesses object and archive files using the BFD libraries.
2092 These libraries allow the linker to use the same routines to operate on
2093 object files whatever the object file format. A different object file
2094 format can be supported simply by creating a new BFD back end and adding
2095 it to the library. You can use @code{objdump -i}
2096 (@pxref{objdump,,objdump,binutils.info,The GNU Binary Utilities}) to
2097 list all the formats available for each architecture under BFD. This
2098 was the list of formats, and of architectures supported for each format,
2099 as of the time this manual was prepared:
2100 @cindex formats available
2101 @cindex architectures available
2102 @example
2103 BFD header file version 0.18
2104 a.out-i386
2105 (header big endian, data big endian)
2106 m68k:68020
2107 a29k
2108 sparc
2109 i386
2110 a.out-sunos-big
2111 (header big endian, data big endian)
2112 m68k:68020
2113 a29k
2114 sparc
2115 i386
2116 b.out.big
2117 (header big endian, data little endian)
2118 i960:core
2119 b.out.little
2120 (header little endian, data little endian)
2121 i960:core
2122 coff-a29k-big
2123 (header big endian, data big endian)
2124 a29k
2125 coff-h8300
2126 (header big endian, data big endian)
2127 H8/300
2128 coff-i386
2129 (header little endian, data little endian)
2130 i386
2131 coff-Intel-big
2132 (header big endian, data little endian)
2133 i960:core
2134 coff-Intel-little
2135 (header little endian, data little endian)
2136 i960:core
2137 coff-m68k
2138 (header big endian, data big endian)
2139 m68k:68020
2140 coff-m88kbcs
2141 (header big endian, data big endian)
2142 m88k:88100
2143 ecoff-bigmips
2144 (header big endian, data big endian)
2145 mips
2146 ecoff-littlemips
2147 (header little endian, data little endian)
2148 mips
2149 elf-big
2150 (header big endian, data big endian)
2151 m68k:68020
2152 vax
2153 i960:core
2154 a29k
2155 sparc
2156 mips
2157 i386
2158 m88k:88100
2159 H8/300
2160 rs6000:6000
2161 elf-little
2162 (header little endian, data little endian)
2163 m68k:68020
2164 vax
2165 i960:core
2166 a29k
2167 sparc
2168 mips
2169 i386
2170 m88k:88100
2171 H8/300
2172 rs6000:6000
2173 ieee
2174 (header big endian, data big endian)
2175 m68k:68020
2176 vax
2177 i960:core
2178 a29k
2179 sparc
2180 mips
2181 i386
2182 m88k:88100
2183 H8/300
2184 rs6000:6000
2185 srec
2186 (header big endian, data big endian)
2187 m68k:68020
2188 vax
2189 i960:core
2190 a29k
2191 sparc
2192 mips
2193 i386
2194 m88k:88100
2195 H8/300
2196 rs6000:6000
2197 @end example
2198
2199 @cindex BFD requirements
2200 @cindex requirements for BFD
2201 As with most implementations, BFD is a compromise between
2202 several conflicting requirements. The major factor influencing
2203 BFD design was efficiency: any time used converting between
2204 formats is time which would not have been spent had BFD not
2205 been involved. This is partly offset by abstraction payback; since
2206 BFD simplifies applications and back ends, more time and care
2207 may be spent optimizing algorithms for a greater speed.
2208
2209 One minor artifact of the BFD solution which you should bear in
2210 mind is the potential for information loss. There are two places where
2211 useful information can be lost using the BFD mechanism: during
2212 conversion and during output. @xref{BFD information loss}.
2213
2214 @menu
2215 * BFD outline:: How it works: an outline of BFD
2216 @end menu
2217
2218 @node BFD outline
2219 @section How it works: an outline of BFD
2220 @cindex opening object files
2221 @include bfdsumm.texi
2222 @end ifclear
2223
2224 @node MRI
2225 @appendix MRI Compatible Script Files
2226 @cindex MRI compatibility
2227 To aid users making the transition to @sc{gnu} @code{ld} from the MRI
2228 linker, @code{ld} can use MRI compatible linker scripts as an
2229 alternative to the more general-purpose linker scripting language
2230 described in @ref{Commands,,Command Language}. MRI compatible linker
2231 scripts have a much simpler command set than the scripting language
2232 otherwise used with @code{ld}. @sc{gnu} @code{ld} supports the most
2233 commonly used MRI linker commands; these commands are described here.
2234
2235 In general, MRI scripts aren't of much use with the @code{a.out} object
2236 file format, since it only has three sections and MRI scripts lack some
2237 features to make use of them.
2238
2239 You can specify a file containing an MRI-compatible script using the
2240 @samp{-c} command-line option.
2241
2242 Each command in an MRI-compatible script occupies its own line; each
2243 command line starts with the keyword that identifies the command (though
2244 blank lines are also allowed for punctuation). If a line of an
2245 MRI-compatible script begins with an unrecognized keyword, @code{ld}
2246 issues a warning message, but continues processing the script.
2247
2248 Lines beginning with @samp{*} are comments.
2249
2250 You can write these commands using all upper-case letters, or all
2251 lower case; for example, @samp{chip} is the same as @samp{CHIP}.
2252 The following list shows only the upper-case form of each command.
2253
2254 @table @code
2255 @item ABSOLUTE @var{secname}
2256 @item ABSOLUTE @var{secname}, @var{secname}, @dots{} @var{secname}
2257 @cindex @code{ABSOLUTE} (MRI)
2258 Normally, @code{ld} includes in the output file all sections from all
2259 the input files. However, in an MRI-compatible script, you can use the
2260 @code{ABSOLUTE} command to restrict the sections that will be present in
2261 your output program. If the @code{ABSOLUTE} command is used at all in a
2262 script, then only the sections named explicitly in @code{ABSOLUTE}
2263 commands will appear in the linker output. You can still use other
2264 input sections (whatever you select on the command line, or using
2265 @code{LOAD}) to resolve addresses in the output file.
2266
2267 @item ALIAS @var{out-secname}, @var{in-secname}
2268 @cindex @code{ALIAS} (MRI)
2269 Use this command to place the data from input section @var{in-secname}
2270 in a section called @var{out-secname} in the linker output file.
2271
2272 @var{in-secname} may be an integer.
2273
2274 @item BASE @var{expression}
2275 @cindex @code{BASE} (MRI)
2276 Use the value of @var{expression} as the lowest address (other than
2277 absolute addresses) in the output file.
2278
2279 @item CHIP @var{expression}
2280 @itemx CHIP @var{expression}, @var{expression}
2281 @cindex @code{CHIP} (MRI)
2282 This command does nothing; it is accepted only for compatibility.
2283
2284 @item END
2285 @cindex @code{END} (MRI)
2286 This command does nothing whatever; it's only accepted for compatibility.
2287
2288 @item FORMAT @var{output-format}
2289 @cindex @code{FORMAT} (MRI)
2290 Similar to the @code{OUTPUT_FORMAT} command in the more general linker
2291 language, but restricted to one of these output formats:
2292 @enumerate
2293 @item
2294 S-records, if @var{output-format} is @samp{S}
2295
2296 @item
2297 IEEE, if @var{output-format} is @samp{IEEE}
2298
2299 @item
2300 COFF (the @samp{coff-m68k} variant in BFD), if @var{output-format} is
2301 @samp{COFF}
2302 @end enumerate
2303
2304 @item LIST @var{anything}@dots{}
2305 @cindex @code{LIST} (MRI)
2306 Print (to the standard output file) a link map, as produced by the
2307 @code{ld} command-line option @samp{-M}.
2308
2309 The keyword @code{LIST} may be followed by anything on the
2310 same line, with no change in its effect.
2311
2312 @item LOAD @var{filename}
2313 @item LOAD @var{filename}, @var{filename}, @dots{} @var{filename}
2314 @cindex @code{LOAD} (MRI)
2315 Include one or more object file @var{filename} in the link; this has the
2316 same effect as specifying @var{filename} directly on the @code{ld}
2317 command line.
2318
2319 @item NAME @var{output-name}
2320 @cindex @code{NAME} (MRI)
2321 @var{output-name} is the name for the program produced by @code{ld}; the
2322 MRI-compatible command @code{NAME} is equivalent to the command-line
2323 option @samp{-o} or the general script language command @code{OUTPUT}.
2324
2325 @item ORDER @var{secname}, @var{secname}, @dots{} @var{secname}
2326 @itemx ORDER @var{secname} @var{secname} @var{secname}
2327 @cindex @code{ORDER} (MRI)
2328 Normally, @code{ld} orders the sections in its output file in the
2329 order in which they first appear in the input files. In an MRI-compatible
2330 script, you can override this ordering with the @code{ORDER} command. The
2331 sections you list with @code{ORDER} will appear first in your output
2332 file, in the order specified.
2333
2334 @item PUBLIC @var{name}=@var{expression}
2335 @itemx PUBLIC @var{name},@var{expression}
2336 @itemx PUBLIC @var{name} @var{expression}
2337 @cindex @code{PUBLIC} (MRI)
2338 Supply a value (@var{expression}) for external symbol
2339 @var{name} used in the linker input files.
2340
2341 @item SECT @var{secname}, @var{expression}
2342 @itemx SECT @var{secname}=@var{expression}
2343 @itemx SECT @var{secname} @var{expression}
2344 @cindex @code{SECT} (MRI)
2345 You can use any of these three forms of the @code{SECT} command to
2346 specify the start address (@var{expression}) for section @var{secname}.
2347 If you have more than one @code{SECT} statement for the same
2348 @var{secname}, only the @emph{first} sets the start address.
2349 @end table
2350
2351
2352 @node Index
2353 @unnumbered Index
2354
2355 @printindex cp
2356
2357 @tex
2358 % I think something like @colophon should be in texinfo. In the
2359 % meantime:
2360 \long\def\colophon{\hbox to0pt{}\vfill
2361 \centerline{The body of this manual is set in}
2362 \centerline{\fontname\tenrm,}
2363 \centerline{with headings in {\bf\fontname\tenbf}}
2364 \centerline{and examples in {\tt\fontname\tentt}.}
2365 \centerline{{\it\fontname\tenit\/} and}
2366 \centerline{{\sl\fontname\tensl\/}}
2367 \centerline{are used for emphasis.}\vfill}
2368 \page\colophon
2369 % Blame: pesch@cygnus.com, 28mar91.
2370 @end tex
2371
2372
2373 @contents
2374 @bye
2375
2376